Ravens News 6/12: Minicamp observations and more

News & Notes 6/11: Michael Pierce Isn’t Physically Ready for Practice - Clifton Brown

Left Guard Jermaine Eluemunor Is Still With First Unit

There is competition for the starting job at left guard, and Jermaine Eluemunor looks to be right in the thick of it.

James Hurst, Alex Lewis, and rookie fourth-round pick Ben Powers are also in the running to start at left guard, but Lewis is currently sidelined while recovering from shoulder surgery. The Ravens are looking for physicality along the offensive line, and at 6-foot-4, 335 pounds, Eluemunor is one of their bigger linemen. D’Allessandris likes what he has seen so far.

“He’s done a very nice job,” D’Alessandris said. “Jermaine has grown as a player. He played as a rookie, and that’s tough. We put him in a very difficult situation but he responded well. This guy’s athletic and he’s another big guy that can move. I just saw continued growth and I said, ‘Give him a chance.’ We’ll see how this all pans out.”

Baltimore Ravens minicamp: Lamar Jackson puts strong bookends on practice, vets arrive and more - Aaron Kasinitz

Observations

While Horn had the standout play, Antoine Wesley continued to separate himself from other undrafted receivers by pulling down a couple tough receptions and sprinting past the secondary for one long catch. Sean Modster, a shifty slot receiver out of Boise State, also caught a handful of short passes. Louisville wide receiver Jaylen Smith has work to do to keep up with the other undrafted pass catchers.

E.J. Ejiya, an undrafted inside linebacker out of North Texas, ended practice with an interception when he darted in front of a short Trace McSorley pass and took it the other way for a long return.

Ravens’ Pierce sent off field for poor conditioning - Jamison Hensley

Pierce, a restricted free agent, didn’t attend any offseason practices and looked much heavier than his listed playing weight of 340 pounds. Following the stretching portion of practice, Pierce left the field after speaking with coach John Harbaugh.

“He’s not ready for this practice yet,” Harbaugh said. “I think you could probably tell.”

Ravens keep cornerback room intact, Jimmy Smith becomes last of the old guard - Sean Grogan

Smith accounts for $15.85 million against the Ravens’ salary cap this year. The organization could have saved more than $9 million by releasing him. Smith will be the league’s second highest-paid cornerback in 2019, and he intends to show why.

“I always want to show that, but I’d rather just let my play speak,” Smith said. “Words ain’t going to do anything for me. At the end of 20 games this year, hopefully I can sit here and say ‘I did exactly what I wanted to do.’”

Smith said his individual goals for next season are to earn his first Pro Bowl selection and reach a career-high five interceptions. A career year after 30 isn’t typical, but Smith has the NFL’s Iron Man opposite him to emulate.

“The standard is high for those guys. We’ve got a lot of resources committed to the secondary, and we think those guys are really, really good players. We value the secondary. We value coverage,” he said. “We love having those guys back there, and I expected those guys to play at the very highest level in the National Football League this year.”